Vacation Recap

I am suffering from serious post-vacation depression so bear with me today while I relive such an amazing trip. I can honestly say that this was the most fun trip I have ever gone on and I am so happy I decided to step out of my comfort zone and go on this once in a lifetime experience. At the end of this trip, I can say I made so many new friends and grew so much closer to the friends/family that I already knew going into this trip. I've discussed before how it's hard to make new friends after college because you don't always get the opportunity to meet new people outside the workplace--but thanks to my cousin who organized this entire vacation, I can say that I made new lifelong friendships in Costa Rica.

Top Moments From The Trip:

• The Marlin del Rey Catamaran Tour- This was by far my favorite part of this trip. All 25 of us had a private catamaran to ourselves for an afternoon where we were able to sail out into the middle of the ocean, snorkel, jump into the pacific off the side of the boat and eat the most fabulous lunch ever. Plus, it was open bar so I was sipping delicious pina coladas while soaking up the sun and pretending I was a millionaire. 

Our Boat!

Just the ladies

• Playing Games- Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE to play games. Literally any type of group game will do, especially because I am very competitive. Throughout the trip we had multiple rounds of trivia, Mafia and other party games---I was in my element. On Saturday, my two cousins put on a giant game show where we were randomly broken up into 6 teams and had to compete in a variety of challenges including relay races, an egg hunt (followed by a word scramble), and a trivia round. The most exciting part?! My team came in first (GO BLUE!)!

The Winning Team

Relay Races

• The Volcano/Rainforest/Hot Springs Excursion- Okay despite being VERY car sick for the length of this full day adventure I still had fun. Not everything went according to plan... it was too cloudy to see the volcano and all the animals went into hiding while we trekked through the rainforest but we had plenty of laughs and were able to relax and unwind in the beautiful natural Costa Rican hot springs. Plus we made plenty of memories and inside jokes throughout the trip while enjoying the panoramic views....

The bus ride from Hell

The group in front of the "volcano"

Everyone enjoying the hot springs

• Pool/Ocean Time- The most bonding we did was when we were all just hanging out relaxing by the pool or venturing into the ocean. The waves were incredible and the water was warm which was a new experience for me. The weather was in the 90's every day, so cooling down while soaking up the sun was a must.

Yay for underwater cameras!

I'm in there somewhere

• Food- Seriously the food in Costa Rica was delicious. Since all 25 of us stayed in a private house together we had a chef make us breakfast and dinner every night. I made a point to try everything that was put in front of me. Who would have thought rice and beans would be such a great breakfast side dish? It was nice to have a moment each day where we were all together, it was like Thanksgiving every night!

Our Breakfast/Dinner table

• The Sunsets- I was lucky to see multiple Costa Rican sunsets with the group while on the trip. We would take a walk down to the beach and all sit together to watch the sun go down.

Overall, I had such an amazing experience with this group of friends and I am literally counting down the days until we can plan another trip together. I'm already bugging my cousin to find out where we are going to go next year!

What was your favorite place you went on vacation?

xoxo